The National Gallery has now opened the doors of the long awaited new facility to the public. Offering free admission to all and plenty of parking at the rear, there is no reason not to stop by for a visit.

In fact, there are many reasons you should stop by: You can soak up some art and culture as you peruse the two separate exhibitions, take a stroll among the sculptures in the garden, stop for a coffee or refreshment, browse some of the unique prints and crafts for sale and check out the continuing education programmes that are now hosted in the on-site art studio.

The upper gallery provides a home, for the first time ever, for the National Collection - a collection of works of art by Caymanian artists spanning several decades. These include not only paintings by the likes of Miss Lassie, the Native Sons, Charles Long, Joanne Sibley, and many others, but also thatch work, sculptures and installations. Although there is not enough space to display the entire National Collection at one time, certain pieces will be rotated.

The lower gallery houses the temporary exhibition, the first of which is a series of works by Caymanian-born artist Bendel Hydes titled Circumnavigating the Globe. This series of 12 works, each of which measures 78 by 78 inches, is an imaginary journey around the globe with each work representing 30 degrees of longitude. The series begins at 90-60 degrees west, being the meridians that locate both the Cayman Islands the place of the artist’s birth, and New York his current home. The series travels eastward in the direction of the earth’s rotation. Each work centres on an individual area of interest meandering north or south as it crosses each meridian.

Outside, the Deutsche Bank Sculpture Garden will also feature temporary sculpture exhibitions. The first of these is a collection of works by David Jungquist, a Korean-born, US-raised sculptor.

Look out for further articles on these two artists in future issues of the Weekender.